randomly predetermined - a straw poll
 

Can something be randomly predetermined? I'm arguing that it can't. Our copywriter, obviously a moron *, is arguing that it can.

* I'm joking, can't believe I feel the need to point that out! LOL.

This reply was randomly predetermined.

I can see how it could be argued that you can.

Imagine the statement "if and only if", so B can only happen if A occurs. A could be a random event that is known to occur, for example alpha decay in radioactive molecules or car accidents. A would then be a random event with a predetermined set of actions on occurrence.

It depends upon the conversation though, and in my example the random even is also predetermined to have the possibility of happening at some point.

the antithesis of "randomly predetermined" is a deterministic "God"


darwinism is a theory of random predetermination

christianity is a theory of deterministic design

of course the deterministic design is also the random predetermination due to the acausal aspatial nature of the quantum universe

A little more background. We have chosen some "magic moments" for a promotion. There are 12 each day for the period of a month. Our T's&C's state: A winning moment is a single moment, which has been randomly predetermined, in advance of the Promotion.

Half the time it seems to make sense to me, the other half not.

Your threads are usually quite good and I usually feel the need to reply. Only reason I am replying is because i this thread is pretty stupid.

It's either that or i don't fully understand the question.

well see i was thinking the opposite
so far im really liking this thread
dangermoose hasnt been mean once



but balls ....im getting the..... half the time sounds right half the time it doesnt ..... as well
my gut says ye it makes sense

i get that puting "random" next to "predetermined" creates a bit of a logical conflict

but i think you are overestimating your customers lol

just say some dude closed his eyes and put his hand in a bag

I'm not even sure why it's still irking me as the IPM have already signed off on the copy so we can't change it now.

Get around the ambiguity with something like "chosen at random from a predetermined selection"?

I highly doubt most people read T&Cs?

EDIT Just saw your post on it not being changed. I'd know what it meant but I'm not a retard.

I doubt anyone reads them, but it's getting on my bloody nerves.

In the context of the T&C randomly predetermined clearly means the value was chosen at random and then set in stone prior to the beginning of the promotion. The value, in this case the date/time/place/whatever of the "magic moment" was picked at random. This value has been determined in advance of the promotion (predetermined). Makes total sense in context.

I say yes too. Something can be randomly predetermined as in this example:

There is a competition to guess a number between 0 and 1000. The winning number is chosen at random before the competition starts. Therefore, the winning number has been randomly predetermined.

Replace predetermined with "chosen in advance" and you get the same meaning without the ambiguity. Using your example:

"A winning moment is a single moment, which has been randomly chosen in advance of the Promotion."

Or even better:

"The winning moments have been chosen in advance of the Promotion."

...since it doesn't matter if the moments are chosen randomly if they are chosen before the competition. Random selection is only important if you are doing a prize draw of qualifying entries after the competition ends.

I agree, I have obviously spent far too much time looking at it.

As a general rule of thumb, I am only mean to people who are mean to me.

You can determine that the next value will be random.